The voice from the heart
by cgdmgirl
Summary: Dana is trapped between life and death. Carter will have to decide if he'll follow his head or his heart to safe the woman he loves. *Chapter 3 added*
1. Are they a couple now?

SUMMARY: Carter and Dana have been secretly dating for a few days. Captain Mitchell and the other rangers don't know anything about their new relationship, but when another monster attacks the city and leaves Dana between live and death, Carter is forced to make one of the most important decisions of his life: should he follow his head or his heart?  
  
DISCLAMER: I do not own any part of Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue. It is owned by Saban. This is strictly for the entertainment of the PRLR fans or anyone else who wishes to read it to entertain them selves. My work is one hundred percent original and is only based on the TV show. This material is also available on Fanfiction.net. In case you want to use my story on you website, you have my permission. But please send me an e-mail at cgdmgirl@bol.com.br to inform me and to give me credit for writing it.  
  
The voice from the heart By cgdmgirl  
  
It was a normal and quiet morning on Mariner Bay. Joel left his quarters to meet his friends for breakfast. As usual, the first one he saw was Chad, who had already taken his breakfast and was reading the newspaper.  
  
"Hey, man. What's up?" asked Joel, as he pulled a chair and sat next to the blue ranger.  
  
"Good morning, Joel." Chad answered. "I'm sorry to inform you but they're out of pancakes today."  
  
"That's okay, I'm not really hungry. I'll just have some orange juice."  
  
"Okay then. Did Carter left already?"  
  
"I guess so, when I got up he wasn't there anymore. Where did he go anyway?"  
  
"He went training on the park. He said he didn't knew what time he'd be back"  
  
At that moment, they saw Kelsey coming into the room and heading to their table. "Good morning, guys." She said still feeling very sleepy.  
  
"Good morning." said Chad  
  
"Hey, Kelsey. Where's Dana?" Joel asked his friend  
  
"She went to the park with Carter."  
  
"Why? That's not very typical of her." Chad asked, confused.  
  
"I don't know for sure actually. She said she needed to do more exercises, to be fit for the other battles. I didn't bite it, but if she wants to get in shape, good for her."  
  
But the three rangers had no idea of what was going on at that exact same time at the park.  
  
* * *  
  
The sky was blue, with no clouds, making Mariner Bay Park even more pretty. At an open field in the middle of the trees, Carter and Dana were training together. They were both on a fight position, ready to attack each other.  
  
"Come on, I'm waiting" Carter said  
  
"Don't push me, Carter." Dana replied. "I hate when someone does it" "Hey, I'm not pushing you, it's just." Dana suddenly attacked, surprising Carter. But he was fast enough to dodge from her. She turned around and tried kicking him. He defended himself with his left arm, but then she hit him again on his right. He made up his mind and began to fight her back, using his martial arts abilities to win. Dana was faster than he'd thought. Since they became rangers, her fighting skills had improved a lot and his too. They were taking that training pretty seriously and both were trying to win. Carter used his right arm to grab her hands, but on a quick second, Dana protected herself, grabbed his wrist and passed her leg behind both his legs, making Carter fall on the ground his back. She had won. Dana got on her knees beside her defeated opponent. She had a proud smile on her face.  
  
"So. looks like I've won." she said, putting her hands on her waist.  
  
"I haven't given up yet." Carter grabbed one of her arms and pulled her towards him. Dana screamed surprised, falling on top of him. Their faces got really close, as they laughed at the situation, looking straight into each other's eyes. After she'd stopped laughing, Dana kept staring at Carter's deep blue eyes. She put her hand on his head and started touching his hair. Carter just lay down, without saying a word. He couldn't stop looking at Dana.  
  
"I'm glad you came here with me" the red ranger finally said.  
  
"I'm glad you asked me to" Dana smiled and gave Carter a quick kiss on the cheek. Then, she got up and stood next to him. "Need a hand?" she offered to help him get up.  
  
Carter took her hand and stood up. They looked at each other for a moment and smirked. Then Dana turned around and walked towards her training bag, to get a towel and a bottle of water. Carter waited a few seconds before he did the same.  
  
"So. how am I doing?" Dana asked while whipping her face with a small towel.  
  
"Well, I think your doing okay. I mean, you've improved a little" Carter answered with sarcasm.  
  
"Just okay?" "Yeah, I guess" Carter stopped for a brief moment, but after noticing the look on Dana's face he tried to explain his comment better. "Look, we have already fought a lot together and since the day we've become rangers our combat abilities have improved very much, especially yours, which wasn't the best one."  
  
Dana gasped. Carter, on the other hand, as he put all his belongings back on his bag, couldn't help from laughing at his own joke.  
  
"Exactly what do you mean by that?" Dana came closer to him, with her hands on her waist.  
  
"Come on Dana, let's face it. Fighting isn't one of your best qualities."  
  
She gasped again, feeling shocked with the comments she was hearing. "Oh yeah." Dana held her towel firmly on her hand and walked towards Carter, trying to hit him with it. With the first strike, he moved back. But then, he quickly leaned forward and managed to grab the other side of the towel. Carter pulled it on his direction and, as Dana was still holding tight, she went too. The two of them got really close to each other, like they had just hugged. The pink ranger let go of the towel and put both her hands on Carter's arms. He held her close by putting his hands around her waist. Dana looked up, right into his eyes and smiled. Carter returned the look.  
  
"You just love messing with me, don't you?"  
  
"Of course I do. What's the fun of having a girlfriend if you can't make fun of her and vice versa?  
  
Dana waited until she replies. But at the same time, she didn't look else where besides Carter. She gave a very quick smile, which Carter didn't understand.  
  
"So, that's what I am now. your girlfriend?"  
  
"Sure, at least I hope you are."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I could say that. It's just that it's the first time I hear you calling me your girlfriend."  
  
"I know. But now on, I think I'm going to say this more often. I like the sound of it."  
  
They laughed. Then Dana rushed over and hugged Carter tightly. She didn't remember felling this happy before. Just to hear those words coming out of Carter made her feel like her heart would explode at any moment because of how fast it was beating. Carter was feeling relived. He wanted to say that to her since they'd got together. Not only to her, but to the whole world. Now he was sure, they were really a couple.  
  
As they filled their minds with these thoughts, they heard a voice coming from Carter's morpher. It was Captain Mitchell.  
  
"Carter, we've got problems. You and Dana go downtown, at the construction area. The others are on their way. They'll meet you there."  
  
"Understood, captain. Come on Dana, duty calls." The two rangers grabbed their things and headed to the location given.  
  
* * * 


	2. Stinger

SUMMARY: The rangers set off to confront Stinger, a new monster sent by Olympus. Although, his assignment isn't to destroy Mariner Bay, but to use his poisoned sting on one of the city's protectors (you have to read to see who it'll be).  
  
DISCLAMMER: The Power Rangers are owned by Saban. This fanfiction is only for the entertainment of the fans and my work is 100% original, based exclusively on the show. This story is available on Fanfiction.net and you have my permission to use it on your website, in case there is interest. But please, send an email to cgdmgirl@bol.com.br to inform me, so I can get credit out of writing it.  
  
* * *  
  
A few minutes before.  
  
At the Skull Cavern, Olympus was watching Carter and Dana at the park. Vypra and Loki were beside him.  
  
"What a nice picture" said the prince "The red and pink rangers totally alone".  
  
"Hugh, I think I'm gonna get sick" Loki interfered "That's disgusting"  
  
"No my dear Loki, it is the opposite. It is absolutely perfect!"  
  
"What do you mean, prince Olympus" Vypra asked.  
  
"The red ranger has ruined most of my plans and I am through with this. He is going to pay a great price for that! And I know just what to do. I believe that the only way to really destroy him, once and for all, is to harm someone close to him. That way he will be torn apart on the inside, which will make weak and easy to eliminate."  
  
"The pink ranger" Vypra finally concluded "She is very important to him. Do you intend to use her as bate?"  
  
"Yes, I do and I already know which monster is perfect for this. Stinger!"  
  
At the same instant, a big and strong monster appeared in the room. He had the appearance of a giant insect, he was green, black, gray and yellow, a bizarre mix between a bee, a spider and a scorpion.  
  
"I'm here my lord" the creature answered.  
  
"Stinger, I have an assignment for you and a very important one" Olympus said as the monster approached him. "I want you to go and attack the city. But when the rangers arrive, I need you to get rid of the others and use you poisoned sting on the pink ranger. Only on the pink ranger."  
  
"As you wish, my prince" he suddenly disappeared.  
  
"With his loved one on the edge of death, the red ranger will become weak and easy to destroy. Now I can feel it, I'll have my revenge!"  
  
* * *  
  
When Carter and Dana arrived at the place of the attack, Chad, Kelsey and Joel were already there. Quickly, the two morphed and went to help their friends. Dana assisted Kelsey, who had just been hit and were lying on the ground. Carter called out Chad and Joel and the five of them regrouped.  
  
"Well, look who decided to show up." Stinger said with a certain ton of sarcasm.  
  
"Who are you?" Carter asked.  
  
"My name is Stinger and I was sent here to destroy you".  
  
"Sorry, but we won't let you" the red answered. "Come on, guys!"  
  
All five rangers attacked the monster one at a time. Chad went first and was quickly defeated. Kelsey and Joel struck after him and ended up the same way the blue ranger did. The three got injured seriously and were unable to go on with the battle.  
  
"Man, he's strong" Joel confessed with last shred of strength that was left on his body.  
  
Carter was stunt with how fast Stinger defeated his team mates. But he wasn't going to give up. He went towards his enemy, determined to finish him. Stinger was faster than him. The creature blocked every single move that Carter did and used them to hit him harder and harder, until the red couldn't take it anymore. He fell down, completely exhausted and hurt.  
  
"See, rangers! I'm much powerful than you. There's no point on continuing with this." Stinger tried to convince them.  
  
"You forgot about me!" Dana approached and suddenly struck him from behind.  
  
"No, I did not. I was saving the best for you!" Stinger started fighting the pink ranger, only to get her away from the others. He kept her busy, waiting for the right moment to fulfill his master's command. Dana had no other choice but to fight back.  
  
As the battle continued, Carter decided to call upon the Rescue Bird. The weapon soon arrived as Carter struggled to stand up. He was so concentrated to do so that, when he finally prepared it to fire, he realized Stinger had also defeated Dana and was firmly holding her, through her right arm and her neck.  
  
"Are you going to shoot me, ranger?" Carter suddenly froze. How could he shoot him with Dana standing right in front?  
  
"If you shoot me, she'll die before the shot gets here" The monster teased the red.  
  
The other rangers were still on the grown. They were also worried at Dana.  
  
"Carter, don't listen to him" Kelsey cried out.  
  
"I can't! I'll hit Dana!" Carter replied. He'd never felt so afraid and nervous at the same time before in his life. Stinger was right in front of him and he couldn't do a thing, because he was using Dana as a shield.  
  
"No. I can't. I won't shoot him" He let go of the Rescue Bird, feeling very bad about his decision.  
  
"Good choice, ranger. But unfortunately, it was the wrong one" Stinger's hand changed into some sort of a small needle and struck Dana on the right side of her hip. It was the poisoned sting.  
  
"No!!!!!" Carter felt like someone had smashed his heart. He became desperate.  
  
As Dana fell down, Stinger quickly turned around and vanished. When she hit the ground, she de-morphed. Carter ran towards her, alongside the other three. They also de-morphed. Carter took Dana in his arms, seeing if there was any answer.  
  
"Dana! Come on, Dana. Talk to me, please. Please!"  
  
The pink ranger opened her eyes as much as she could. She was glad to see Carter's face. "Carter. I'm sorry."  
  
"No. No, Dana. It's not you fault. Please, stay with me. Be strong, okay."  
  
Dana gave him a little smirk and then closed her eyes. She'd fainted.  
  
Carter's blue eyes had some tears on them. Kelsey tried to put her hand on his shoulder, to comfort him, but he moved away, taking Dana in his arms and getting up.  
  
"Quick! We have to take her back to the Aquabase." Carter walked away, heading for rover. Chad, Kelsey and Joel followed him, worried about what would happen to Dana.  
  
To be continued. 


	3. There's no cure

SUMMARY: The Lightspeed team goes into shock when they discover Dana's condition is worse than they'd expected.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, okay. I know you hate waiting, but I'm doing the best I can. About those grammar mistakes, I'm really sorry about it. You have to cut me some slack 'cause English isn't my native language. In spite of being fluent in it, I'm not perfect.  
  
DISCLAMER: I don't own PRLR, this is just for fun!!!  
  
A voice from the heart Part 3  
  
* * *  
  
At the Aquabase, the four rangers, Captain Mitchell and Ryan, who hadn't make it in time for the battle against Stinger, were at the infirmary waiting for Ms F to finish examining Dana.  
  
"So... how is she?" asked the Captain.  
  
The scientist looked down, taking off her glasses slowly. "I'm afraid is worse than I thought" she gave the news to the other six in the room.  
  
"How worst is it?" Ryan stepped I front of his father.  
  
She looked around at each one of them with a sad expression on her face. Then, she took a deep breath. "The monster's sting was poisoned. And this poison is already inside Dana's blood chain."  
  
"And what does this mean, Ms F?" a confused Kelsey asked.  
  
"It means that her blood is infected, which is making her heart stop pumping what's still left of the non infected blood to all parts of her body. In other words, if we don't find the cure soon, Dana will die."  
  
Everybody had suddenly frozen. After a few seconds, Ryan sat down on a chair behind him and put his head between his knees, Kelsey tried really hard to hide her tears, Joel and Chad were so shocked that they couldn't move. Captain Mitchell's only reaction was to look down. The room was silent for several minutes.  
  
"Do you know an antidote? A torn apart Carter, who had been next to Dana, holding her hand during the whole time, broke down the silence.  
  
"Unfortunately, I don't." Ms F said.  
  
Carter kept staring at her. Like Kelsey, his eyes were filled up with tears. Then he turned his attention the girl on the bed. He squeezed her hand and started thinking: was that it? Now that they were finally together, Dana's time had come? It wasn't fair. It shouldn't end like that.  
  
"No!" Carter let it all out. "No, it's not going to end like this! I'm not gonna let her die!"  
  
"Carter, please." M Fairweather tried to calm him down.  
  
"No! Not like this! We will find the cure and she's going to be okay! She has to." At last his tears started to come out.  
  
Everyone was staring at him. They didn't understand where that was coming from. Carter took one last look at Dana, dried his tears and walked away from the infirmary.  
  
To be continued. 


End file.
